Thursday was a big day for the Bailey sisters. They both decided to get the vaccine at the Northwest Activities Center. Just like a proud mother, Natasha Bailey was there, standing by for both of them.

For the first time, children between the ages of 12 and 15 are able to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

With the FDA granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15, many parents are unsure how to move forward.

The Biden Administration announced Friday a massive investment in the fight against COVID-19 variants.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday the state would be expanding its use of COVID treatments in an effort to combat rising hospitalizations.

OLIVE BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI - DECEMBER 20: Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center on December 20, 2020 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. CDC has accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation for use of the second authorized #COVID19 vaccine. Current recommendations: https://t.co/cYJxH31I3F pic.twitter.com/qOQwyASpSG — CDC (@CDCgov) December 20, 2020The CDC accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’(ACIP) recommendation for use of the Moderna vaccine on Sunday, Dec. 20. President, American Medical AssociationThe Moderna vaccine began shipping out Sunday, just days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use. Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer shot require individuals receive two doses several weeks apart.

Panel members are waiting to hear FDA's evaluation and to see more safety and efficacy data before endorsing any particular product. It also includes home health care workers and paramedics. The government estimates people working in health care account for 12% of U.S. COVID-19 cases but only about 0.5% of deaths. Experts say it’s imperative to keep health care workers on their feet so they can administer the shots and tend to the booming number of infected Americans. Still, governors and local officials may have to decide which health care workers or regions get shots first, Schwartz said.

The announcement came just 11 days after the Democratic mayor said schools would shut down because of rising COVID-19 cases. And perhaps even two or three weeks down the line ... we may see a surge upon a surge,” he said. Other experts agreed that the coming weeks would be difficult, especially since so many traveled over the holiday and held in-person dinners indoors. Elementary school students attending in person will be required to undergo frequent testing for the virus. More than 9,300 residents have tested positive for the virus over the past seven days.

ATLANTA – A panel of U.S. advisers will meet Tuesday to vote on how scarce, initial supplies of a COVID-19 vaccine will be given out once one has been approved. Experts have proposed giving the vaccine to health workers first. High priority also may be given to workers in essential industries, people with certain medical conditions and people age 65 and older. The agenda for next week's emergency meeting was posted Friday. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the Food and Drug Administration to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The CDC's recommendation that children start receiving two doses of the HPV vaccine around 11 or 12 years old has not changed. The committee holds three meetings every year to review the most recent scientific data and vote on making possible updates to vaccine recommendations. In some cases, HPV infection can lead to six types of cancer: cervical, anal, penile, vaginal, vulvar and oropharyngeal (mouth and throat). The vaccine can protect against cancers since it works by preventing HPV infection -- and while most people think of HPV's relation to cervical cancer, "parents often don't know that HPV oropharyngeal cancers will outnumber cervical cancer" in around five years, she said. About 10% of men and 3.6% of women have oral HPV, according to the CDC, and HPV is thought to cause 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.